I like it; I read it. If you don't, then I suggest you don't. It will save you time and you won't have to strain to come up with all those snide comments.

I think there are many rational reasons to hate George W. Bush.

Respectfully,

Ian

. . . in a slightly painful way. Conservatives are mad hyena dogs when it comes to conservative ideals. Liberals are (seems to me, anyway) our only hope for pushing the humanity platform- except when they're revoltingly self-conscious, self-involved, superior and just so dumb. I hate when that happens. We (liberals)are better than that! Except, sometimes we're not. I moved back to small town, deep south three years ago (after living 8 years in a large city on the east coast). Do you know why the folks in my area voted for Bush instead of Carey in the last election? NOT because they loved Bush (they did not), but because they hated Carey.

Also, speaking of mad hyenas, I wish the Salon letter writters would imagine themselves saying their written words, out loud. Why so nasty and hateful?

I think Kerry should change his name to Carey, which is softer and gentler, and not almost the same as the other Kerrey, who was a Navy Seal who really did some bad things in Vietnam, and was a pretty corrupt guy in the state of NE. Anne has it right,Republican animus has been boiling over for years. Who knows what causes mass insanity? Oh and here's a letter I found in the Third Reich archives. Dear Mom and Dad I decided to join the Nazi party, I'm tired of the gefilte fish, and all the whiny complaining.

Why is it that I imagine if the ripping had been of conservatives worrying about creationism, gay marriage bans and the like and it had been a republican bolting the party, it would have been viewed as hilarious?

There is a huge polarization these days. Not sure the root causes of it, but it sure as hell is there. One theory points to precise redistricting making more and more seats "safe." Safe seats will generally go to the more extreme candidate. It's no secret primary voters are more zealous than general election voters. That, coupled with not having to worry about a strong general election fight, and you wind up with more extreme representation.

Likewise, the lower the voter turnout, generally the more extreme the profile of the voter. It's a vicious cycle. Gerrymander districts into safe seats, one party stays home more, lowering turnout. Get increasingly caustic and polarizing representatives and the turnout lowers. Think toilet bowl.

And the general electorate doesn't sit on the polar ends like some teeter totter. It's more like a swamped rowboat with the muddle middle sloshing back and forth to pitch the side. It therefore stands to reason that zealous national mouthpieces alienate the muddled middle. Republicans took a few pot shots at incumbents, driving Jim Jeffords away and killing off moderates in Gubenatorial primaries in places like NJ and CA for rightwingnuts drinking the biblical Kool-Aid who got ax handled in the general election. (Anyone Bolysheviks by the Bay remember Gray Davis V Simon?)

Now the democrats are taking a page from that book, taking a run at Joe Lieberman in Conn. Real smart move, that.

The old self absorbed Baby Boomer bullshit keeps at it. From those who signed on for Free Love and fighting Vietnam against those who were late to find Dope and birth control and dutifully served, we now have our raging social debate. Argue each is a pain in the ass and you get the old relativism argument about the other side being worse.

The cartoon makes a great point, and it naturally engenders the same, shop-worn rationalizations from the extremists.

As I said, let the cartoon be about a moderate republican fed up with the bible thumping bigots on the right and most posters would simply switch sides.

The Founders must be spinning in their graves.

Am I reading the same cartoon as most of you? Tom Tomorrow isn't making fun of liberals. He's making fun of whiny pseudoliberals who've found writing conservative diatribes--in the guise of contrarian rants--to be a lucrative pastime. To ensure that they are welcomed with open arms, striking a pose as disenchanted, alienated former liberals is de rigeur, and the mythical liberal cocktail party/dinner party is merely a plot device which usually involves everyone at the table except for Our Hero applauding Stalin or Che Guevera at some point. These people, like the post-9/11 pants-pissers, are fakes and weenies, and so are their testimonies.

As for the cut and paste talking head thing: hi, that's his style! This cartoon is not a work of art; it's a political expression. Repetition is key. If the Republicans can repeat a lie loudly enough and frequently enough, it is often accepted. Why not use this strategy to get the truth across?

As far as I'm concerned, he nailed it to the wall this week. Next time you hear a so-called "lifelong Democrat" whining about the mythical liberal cocktail party, ask him whether the toast to Pol Pot was made with chardonnay or pinot grigio.

- of the brain, is driving 15-20 miles anywhere you have to go. Spending hours and hours in the car. Spending extra hours at work, but clocking out at the scheduled time, because the company can't handle incremental over-time, but at the same time, don't leave anyone in the lurch because work is a moral imperative and you should feel lucky you should have a job. (Kerry/ not Carey- I knew that, right). There are a whole lot of places where people scramble to make it. They scramble and work and are screwed right and left- but have to believe that what they're doing is the right thing. If you knew you were being screwed, that there really was no redemptive light at the end of the tunnel, how could you go on? These people take care of children and old people and companies who view them as more dispensible then wilted lettuce and they are exhausted, but not ready to hear that they are ignorant fools and that every thing they've ever believed in (work/personal responsibility- an opportunity to control their own destiny is nothng more than a trick perpetrated on them by the powers that be. It sucks hard to be a victim. They're not real good with geography or proust, or figuring out how to balance the various proteins required in a vegetarian diet (to some liberals- another moral imperative- as is living in the city where one does not have to drive, but where one may not be able to afford rent. (I would love to relate some conversations I've had with some Northeastern friends who fussed and scolded over the idea of people living so far away from the city, where they'd have to drive and feed the oil Gods and destroy the environment, not to mention fine literature and great dining. - (um, I pay $585 a month for a three bedroom house. I have to mow the lawn, but at least I'm off food stamps- sorry about Western Civilization).

It takes a lot of time and smarts and energy to be the perfect liberal. Conservatives promise a sense of belonging and self-respect for doing what what these folks are already doing - which is not actually slaughtering/abusing/greedily eating up the rest of the world.

People who got this could perhaps appeal to a finely tuned/trained desire to "do the right thing".

But not while sneering/dismissing people and their lives over stupid crap. Liberals sneer over stupid, stupid shit. And that's annoying. And not so productive.